Hello everyone! We’re all done with hot air balloons (wasn’t it fun?!) and now we’re on to a new theme of the week. Get ready…
This week’s Theme of the Week is OSTRICHES!!! #bobbledyostrich
Ostriches are weird weird creatures. I mean, just LOOK at them!
Long skinny necks, big bulgy eyeballs, fluffy fluffy feathers and knobbly knees.
AND…
TWO TOES!!!
Yes! Ostriches only have two toes. Well, two toes per foot, anyway. A two-toed creature is called a “didactyl” (pronounced DIE-dack-tul) – and ostriches are the ONLY birds that are didactyls. But only one toeNAIL per foot! That creepy little toe doesn’t even get a toenail! Scientists think that ostriches only have two toes because it makes it easier for them to run fast.
And ostriches have to run fast because they can’t fly. If someone comes chasing them to pluck out their lush feathers (ostriches were almost hunted to extinction two hundred years ago because ostrich feathers were used as decorations in fancy clothes and hats), they just have to run as fast as they can to get away. And they run pretty fast – up to 45 miles per hour – which makes them the fastest bird in the world! (Actually, that’s a misleading “fact” because there are lots of other birds which can fly much faster – ostriches are the fastest at RUNNING).
Here’s a video of a man trying to run faster than an ostrich. Not just any man, either. Dennis Northcutt, former wide-receiver for the Browns.
It turns out, 45 miles per hour is about twice as fast as the fastest human can run, so unless that ostrich happened to break its leg during the race, he was pretty much guaranteed to win.
Another reason ostriches have to run fast is because they aren’t especially smart. Believe it or not, their brains are smaller than their eyeballs!
In their defense, though, their eyes ARE as big as billiard balls.
Ostriches also make totally weird sounds. When they’re in danger, the male will warn the flock by making this crazy whooping sound:
And, you might have noticed from the videos that ostriches are pretty big – male ostriches can grow to be up to NINE FEET TALL. Between the giant eyeballs, the crazy tall-ness, the weird two-toes, the toenail-less nubbin of a toe and the crazy sounds they make, they probably don’t have to run away from anything after all. I’m pretty sure if I ran into a 9 foot tall ostrich somewhere going BOOOOBOOOOOOBOOOOOOO, I’D probably be the one running.
One last cool thing about this oversized crazy bird is that it also lays the largest eggs of any bird in the world. I mean, LOOK!
One ostrich egg is equal to about 24 chicken eggs! I bet that made quite an omelette! But still not quite worth chasing a 9-foot tall ostrich for – I think it would be much easier to chase down 24 chickens. Though, now that I think of it, it’s debatable. Maybe the next episode of Sports Science should have Dennis Northcutt trying to catch 24 chickens. We’ll see how he does on THAT one.
Okay, one last thing: if you don’t find ostriches totally weird after learning all this, then you’ll definitely find the ostrich dance totally weird. YES. All you need is a sweatshirt and some jammin’ trax, and you can do your own ostrich dance! Watch and learn:
Alrighty then – so that’s what I’ve learned about ostriches this week. If you find anything else interesting to share, please post it in the comments below!
And here’s a question for you: if you had to catch an ostrich, how would you do it? I’m sure you have some clever ideas. Enter them in the comments for a chance to be the expert of ostrich week!
Stay tuned on Monday for Matthew’s ostrich story!
–If you had to catch an ostrich, how would you do it?
“I would do it like this [jumps/gallops across the floor].”
–Would you need a tool to catch the ostrich?
“I would use this tool [picks up cat dancer toy]. You do it like this [puts wand of cat dancer between her legs, gallops across the floor with the fleece “tail” of the cat dancer dragging behind her], and then it plays.”
From Valerie — I would get 5 kiwis,hang them all on a fishing pole,and then swing it til the ostrich eats it.
From Melody — I can open up a Ostrich Wonderland that has all-you-can-eat shrub salad and bug dressing. (that’s what I think ostriches love eating) Ostrich Wonderland also will have a Feather Salon, an Ostrich Runway,and contests for the longest neck. There can also be lots of rides for ostriches! One can be called High Flying Ostrich, where the ostrich gets to fly in a flying simulation. Then, my Wonderland will be so popular to ostriches that they will all come to it! There, I will capture my ostrich! Or maybe 10!
I would catch it with a net and I want it to be my pet. I would name it Plakisus. I will feed him grass.
I would catch mine with a net and name it Thomas Goose. I would give it a sweater to wear.
I would catch an ostrich with a special race car with a robotic arm and a bucket at the end. After I catch it, I will take him home and I will take care of him. I will feed him pasta, and chicken nuggets.
I would make a robot that offers all kinds of food to attract the ostrich (e.g., vegetables, bugs w/ sauce, and chips). And then a portal will be open. After the ostrich jumps into the portal, he will be locked up in the robot’s tummy and never come out. But don’t worry, there are lots of food in the robot’s tummy that the ostrich will never get hungry.
Oh my goodness!!! I would love to see pictures of ALL of these!! The ostrich-catching robots! The ostrich in a sweater! Ostrich Wonderland! Ostrich on a hook!! And, of course, Alice Day-Biehler riding around on an ostrich. SO GREAT!!